St. Patrick's Day Parade

Thanks to Theo Jackson, our bad ass musical ambassador, we have lately got to know Ben Amure, a photographer making a name for himself with portraits of London's rising jazz stars. For our cause, he kindly volunteered his time and talent to take shots of the clothes au studio before we went to New York. Since we've been back he has organised - and I mean organised - two shoots of the collection at his studio in Brixton. http://www.benjaminamure.com/

We needed bodies. I thought I might see if Goldie was around but the flash gnasher was off to Miami http://www.goldie.co.uk/.
I asked my old RADA buddie David Harewood, but he was still in LA. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362873/
(We did take a raincheck for showery April though!)
"Don't worry," said Ben, "I've got a model, great physique, tall, Jakub. I met him on a train."

Moving on to casting our girl, I remembered meeting Georgia Brontë at a Kenzo party in the early days of this blog. She is now a sort after model, signed to Select, and we had a little Twitter exchange that established she had college study calls on her time the weekend of the shoot (yes, it has occurred to me that might be a polite brush off). Then Sophie, daughter of the jolly orange Baron, came to see us at the studio. She searched her phone for a photo of her boyfriend's step sister.
We peered.
"Crikey! Call her!"
I then had a brief conversation with Casper, for it was she, and she announced she was game. Minutes after we talked, she drove through this little village in Yorkshire:

It's a sign!!

Casper, it was immediately apparent, tell everybody, was born to be the salty pirate Queen of Bedlam.

Casper in the "Evelina" jacket in a John G. Hardy Alsport tweed; scarf by Age of Reason

Casper's daddy was a sailor. Here she rocks the Tectonic suit in a J. & J. Minnis flannel chalk stripe

Casper in the "Helen" coat made of Harris Tweed with leather hot cross bun buttons and the Bedlam bib front shirt in Bengal Wine

The Evelina jacket as above

Casper in the Megan jacket in John G. Hardy tweed with silk velvet highway lady cuffs and pocket flaps; the Lady C split skirt in waterproofed cotton; "Orgy" silk scarf by Age of Reason

Casper in the cozy rosy Bedlam all-in -one with pearl buttons

Then Jakub strolled in and flash, bang, wallop, the clothes fitted him perfectly; the right attitude and look was instantly there; it was natural, effortless, a delight to behold; and, kinda crucial in the circumstances, it transmitted to print.

Jakob in the Taffy jacket and Arthur  trousers, both in John G. Hardy Alsport tweed. Bedlam grandad shirt with soft leather collar in Tattersall check.

Oh yes. Jakob tipping his hat in the Tectonic suit and Bedlam bib front shirt

Jakob looking stingin' in the Bumble Bee jacket - pure wool cloth from A.W. Hainsworth, trimmed in Toscana lamb fleece from Walter Reginald and lined in pure honey gold silk from Pongees

The Tectonic suit jacket from the back

Jakob in the Clancey jacket in Harris Tweed with real horn buttons; and the Arthur trousers

Ben's assistant Deborah Adelabu  took a series of "behind the scenes" shots

So then we threw them together. To coin a phrase, it was smokin'!

Fresh off the boat, landed on Ellis Island, are they brother and sister, Bonnie & Clyde, or double trouble empire builders?

Betty Blue-Clara Bow-Demi Moore all and more is Casper, Bedlam's Pirate Queen soaking up the scrutiny from Jakob, Bedlam's Gypsy King (another of Deborah's shots)

Casper and Jakob in his'n'hers cosy rosey Bedlam Wild West all-in-ones. It's cold out there, cuddle til cookin'

Next up rocked two stars of the UK jazz scene, Soweto Kinch, multiple MOBO winner and Mercury Music Prize nominee (and who was actually Goldie's partner in the TV show "The Band") and Welsh trumpet player, Andy Davies, just a little smug from the previous day's rugby victory. He hosts the jam upstairs at Ronnie Scotts on Wednesday nights.

Rain's not on the list, it's not getting in. Andy and Soweto in the Ventile mac with rubber sealed seams we call the Mr Wesley; and the King of Threads cords. Andy holds the Stick of Bedlam, branded ivy by artist David Taborn

Soweto Kinch in the Mr Willis suit in a John G. Hardy Alsport tweed; Bedlam bib front shirt and New York Newsboy cap. 

Andy, the good ship Bedlam's own Horn Blower

Andy in the Jay B single breasted overcoat of Harris Tweed with velvet collar and red piping, lined in silk printed with Bedlam's signature handcuff motif

The St. Patrick's Day Massacre rat-ta-tat-tat.
Andy Davies in the Mr Harrop waistcoat in Harris Tweed and Bedlam bib front shirt

There are more to show you and some of my own "behind-the-scenes" slightly out of focus efforts. So if the wind is in the right direction that ship should sail along shortly.